Apparatus for coating sound-records with electroconductive material.



. I. W. NORGROSHS. APPARATUS FOR COATING scum) masons WITH ELEGTROGONDUGTIVE MATERIAL. v APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13,1909.

952,753, Patented Mar/22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

' I. W. NORCROSS.

APPARATUS FOR COATING SOUND RECORDS WITH ELEGTROGONDUGTIVE MATERIAL.

ABPLIGATION riLEn Nov. 13,1909.

Patented Ma1222, 1910.

nmrnn" STATES and runs.

ISAAC W. NORCROSS,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR COATING SOUND-RECORDS WI'IH ELECTROCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Meir. 22, 1910.

Application filed IiTovember 13, 1909. Serial No. 527,764.

plicates from an original or master record.

' The invention is directed to that. portion of the operation of making duplicate soundrecords from an original which consists in preparing the surface of the original record by coating it with an electro-conductive substance so that a matrix may be made thereon by electro-plating. Original sound-records are commonly formed of a waxy substance and in order to form a matrix on this original it is common to provide a coating of graphite upon the surface of the original record to make its surface conductive prior 'to putting the record in the electro-plating vation of the samewith one member in verbath.

Heretofore it has been the practice tb apply graphite to the surface of a sound record manually with a camels-hair brush by wiping the brush against the record at one point and then another repeatedly to coat the record with the graphite and rub the latter into the grooves of the record as thoroughly as possible. The application of the graphite to the surface of the original i cord in this way has not been satisfactory both because of the character of the resultsobtained and because of the amount of time required, and it is the object of my present invention to provide an improved process and apparatus whereby this step in the manufacture of sound-records may be performed,in a much superior manner and in much less time than is required under the method heretofore employed.

My invention consists in loading the surface of an original sound-record with the eleotro-conductive material and then, in an operation distinct from the loading operation, burnishing the surface of the record. I find that in this way a very much superior coating of the material is obtained, this coating having a bright, burnished surface similar to an enamel. Furthermore, the particles of the graphite are so closely laid upon the surface of the record that the coating is impervious to moisture; this is .an adrecord after being coated must be placed in the bath finds its way through the graphite coating the, record is quite apt to be spoiled by the water coming in contact with alkali in the sound-record and forming what is known as a soda spot. Furthermore, the coating of graphite obtained in accordance with my invention is suchthat the coated record may be handled with little danger of affecting the coating thereon whereas with commonly employed, greatcare had to be exercised to keep of the coated record.

My invention comprises the process above outlined independent of the apparatus which may be employed in practicing the invention. I have, however, shown in the accompanying drawings an'apparatus which may be employed and which I preferto employ.

tive View of the apparatus, Fig. 2 is an eleticfll section, Fig. 3 is'a sectional view of the mandrel and Fig. 4: is a plan view of the machine with one of the parts shown in horizontal section. I

Referring to these drawings, 1 indicates a standard having therein bearings for a pulley 3 by'which'ro'tary motion is communicated to'the shaft 2. On the opposite end of the shaft 2 is secured a wheel 4: having a plurality of bunches of camels-hair secured thereto so as to form a rotary 'camels-hair brush. A second standard 5 has bearings formed therein, as shown at 6 and 7 (Fig. 4), for a shaft 8 on one end of vwhich is mounted a pulley 9'; a belt 10 runs onth-is pulley and one pulley 11 upon the shaft 2 'to transmit rotary motion from the latter shaft to shaft 8. The'end of the shaft 8 cp- .posite that to which the pulley 9 is secured is adapted to receive a mandrel 12,-shown in detail in Fig. 3. This mandrel consists of two tubular pieces 13, a tube 14 connecting them, heads-15 on the tube 14: and a cylindrical piece 16 supported by the heads 15 and adapted to receive a cylindrical sound-record '17 as shown. The tubular ert aclampi-ng action upon-the shaft 8 when Vantage of considerable importance for the records coated under the process herettrfore In these drawings Figure 1 is a persp'ecshaft 2 on the end of which is mounted a" pieces 13 are slotted and so formed as to ex the electroplating bath and ifthe water of from touching the surface" the mandrel with a sound-record thereon is inserted oventheforward end of the shaft 8.

The shaft 8 also carries a pulley 18 on which runs a belt 19 which by means of the pulley 20 communicates rotary motion to a shaft 21 I mounted-in bearings formed in a standard upon shaft 21, its surface is 23 is positioned by a collar 24 secured thereon and pulley 25 is secured. to thesleeve 23 and receives a belt 26 which also runs upon a pulley 27 secured upon the shaft 21. To'

the pulley 25 is secured a cylindrical mem ber 28 having a plurality of carriers 29 projecting inwardly thereof. To certain of these carriers may be secured bunches of camels-hair-30 projecting inwardly sot-hattheir ends may engage a sound-record supported upon the shaft 8., A cover 31 maybe provided whereby the end of thecylindrical member 28 may be closed when desired. The

power connections between the various parts are, suchthatthe cylindrical member 28 r'otates quite slowly while the shaft 8 carrying the record within the cylindrical member rotates at'a very considerably higher speed.

These two parts are shown as rotating in the same direction though this is not essential. The speeds which I prefer to employ are four rotations a minute for the cylindrical member 28 and one'hundred revolutions a minute for the shaft 8. The brush 4 is made to rotate at very high speed preferably as much as four hundred revolutions per minute and the shaft 21 carrying the record with which the brush 4coacts, is made to rotate in the same direction as the brush 4 at a speed-which is preferablyforty revolutions per. minute.

In the operation of coating the surface of the cylindrical sound-record the record is firstplaced upon a mandrel 12 and this man drel 1s theninserted upon the forward end of the shaft 8. This may be done While the the latter 'su mechanism is in operation for the mandrel slips readily u on the shaft 8 and then grips fli dient to cause the rotation of the mandrel. A small amount of graphite is then inserted within the cylindrical member 28 and if desired the, cover 31 may be placed in position. As the member 28 rotates the graphite is carried up by the car riers 29 and then deposited upon the upper surface of the sound-record 17. The soundrecord is then rotating in the same direction but at a very much'higher s eed than the member 28, and the particles 0 graphite will therefore be drawn under the brushes 30 by the rotation of the record and causedto adhere to the surfaceof the record. This operation is continued until a suflicient quantity of the graphite is loaded upon the surface of the record. The operator then grips the end of the mandrel and draws the latter with the record thereon off from the serted upon the shaft 8 in the reverse posi tion in order to insure a thorough loading.

of the record. After this the mandrel and record are withdrawn and placed in a similar manner upon the forward end. of the shaft 2.1. lVhen the record is taken from Within .themember .28, its surface is -cov- .end of the shaft 8. Preferably, the mandrel sand record are then turned around and inare thus compacted and caused to lie close together and to the surface of the record; furthermore, the coating of the graphite is burnished so that it has a bright,lsmooth surface resembling an enamel and such that.

the coating is impervious to moisture and will not be materially affected if touched with the fingers. .If desired, the mandrel 12 with the record thereon may be moved manually upon the shaft 21 so that the brush 4 will contact with the record over the entire surface of;the latter; in practice,'

however, I find that it is only necessary to move the mandrel in one direction manually as it worksalong in the opposite direction automatically. After the record has been brushedin this way for a short time, it is desirable to reverse it upon the shaft 21 as this insures getting the graphite well into the portions of the record-groove which are inclined at such an angle that the brush 4 could not act efficiently thereon when the record was in its original position.

It will thus be seen that. the method of making the surface of a sound-record electro-conductive herein described, differs essentially from that heretofore employed in that there are two distinct operations, first the loading of the surface of the sound-record, and second, an operation distinct from the loading operation and consisting of burnishing .the material which was loaded upon the surface of the record. The difference-between coatings obtained by the two processes is readily discernible by the naked 1 eye and it is apparent in that in the one case if the record he touched with the finger a.

and therefore the 'original record in the elect'ro-plating bath ond support, substantiallfy substantial quantity of the graphite will ad- .fect. Furthermore, the coating obtained in accordance with this process is impervious to moisture to a veig much greater degree anger o spoiling an is greatly reduced. The cost of producing coated records is also reduced since the'time required for a coating operation in the process and apparatus above described is' greatly reduced from that required under the process heretofore employed, particularly as it will be seen that two records,may' be operated upon at the same time, one being loaded while the other is being burnished.

'Having described my invention what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a support for a' sound-record, means for loading the surface of the sound-record on said support with an electro-conductive material,- a brush, and means for causing relative rotation of the brush and record while in contact vto burnish the surface of the record, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a support for a sound-record, means for loadin the surface of the sound-record on said support with an electro-conductive material, a sec ond support for a sound-record, abrush adjacent to said second sup ort and adapted to contact with the surface of a record thereon, and means for rotating said secas set forth.

3. The combination 0 a support for a sound record, a rotary member surrounding the sound-record on said support, means for rotating said member, carriers on said member for carrying electro-conductive materialand depositing it on the sound-record, brushes adapted to coact with the soundrecord, and means-for causing relative rotation of the brushes, and the sound-record, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a support for a sound-record, a rotary member surrounding the sound-record on said support, means for rotating said member, carriers on said member for carrying electro-conductive material and depositing it on the sound-record, brushes adapted to coact with the soundrecord, and means for'rotating the soundrecord in a direction to draw the material de osited thereon under the said brushes, su 'stantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a support for. a sound-record, a rotary member surrounding mount the sound-record on said support, means fol rotating said member, carriers on said memher for carrying electro-conductive material and deptsiting it on the sound-record, brushes mounted on said member and engaging the surface of a sound-record on said' support, and means for rotating said support with the sound-record thereon, substantially as set forth.

6. The. combination of a support for a sound-record, a rotary 'member surrounding the sound-record on said support, means for rotating said member, carriers on said memher for carrying electro-conductive material and depositing iton the sound-record, brushes adapted to coact with the soundrecord, means for causing relative rotation of the brushes and the sound-record, a second su port for a sound-record, a brush adjacent thereto, and means for rotating said brush, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a support for a sound-record, a rotary member surrounding the sound-record on said support, means for rotating said member, carriers on said memher for carrying electro-conductive material and depositing it on the soundrecord, brushesadapted tocoact with the soundrecord, means forrotating the sound-record in a direction to draw the material deposited thereon under the said brushes, a second support for a sound-record, means for rotating the same, a brush mounted adjaasto contact therewith, and means for rotating said last-named brush, .substantially as set forth.

' 8. The combination of a support for a sound-record, a rotary member surrounding the sound-record on said support, means for rotatmg said member, carriers on said mem- 7 her for carrying electro-conductive material and depositing it on the sound-record,

brushes mounted on said member and engaging the surface of a sound-record on said support, means for rotating said support with the sound-record thereon, a second support for a sound-record, a brush mounted adjacent thereto and adapted to contact with the record on said support, and means for rotating said last-named support and brush, substantially as set forth.

' This specification signed and witnessed this 8 h day of November, 1909.

' I. w, NORCROSS.

Witnesses:

D. S. EDMONDS, HENRY MEYER. 

